Combined hammer and nail catcher



Oct. 30, 1956 B. A. KANDARIAN 2,768,809

COMBINED HAMMER AND NAIL CATCHER Filed Sept. 7. 1954 BELLE A. KANDAR/AN INVENTOR? HUEBNER, BEEHLER,

WORREL 3 'HERZ/6 ATTORNEYS BY v WWW United States Patent COMBINED HAMMER AND NAIL CATCHER Belle A. Kandarian, Fresno, Calif.

Application September 7, 1954, Serial No. 454,380

3 Claims. (Cl. 254-26) The present invention relates to receptacles and more particularly to a receptacle attachment for tools such as hammers, nail pullers and the like adapted to collect such fastening members as nails, spikes, bolts, tacks after being extracted from fastening position by the tool to which they are attached.

Although the instant invention is adapted for use on a variety of tools, it is conveniently illustrated in use on nail pulling tools providing bifurcated claws. The claw hammer, for example, is a well known tool utilized, apart from a hammering or pounding function, to draw, pull or extract a fastening member from a fastening position, as a nail in a piece of wood. Such a hammer includes a pair of spaced claws between which the shank of a nail can be grasped. By lifting or applying leverage to the hammer handle, the nail is pulled by the head from its fastening or embedded position.

In the past it has been the practice to remove individually each nail from the claws and to collect the removed nails in one hand, pocket or the like while pulling a series of nails or performing other tasks. Removal of the nails from the claws is necessary in order to utilize the claws properly but individual removal involves additional time and inconvenience. This procedure increases the possibility of loss of the pulled nails inasmuch as they are more frequently dropped from the claws than retained thereby; it increases the collection of debris which has to be swept or otherwise cleaned and it increases the hazards from nails and the like being left on the floor or ground since no positive means is provided to collect the nails immediately upon extraction thereof.

Conventional nail pullers offer another disadvantage in that they fail to protect the user or others standing close by from'nails which tend to fly loose from the claws after extraction, especially from firmly anchored positions or when the hammer is used on ceilings or overhead.

An object of this invention is to improve the speed, efficiency and safety by which fasteners can be extracted from fastening position by tools made for such purpose.

Another object is to provide an attachment for a tool adapted to extract fastening members which collects such members immediately upon extraction thereof.

Another object is to improve the safety in the use of a claw hammer by preventing fasteners, such as nails, from flying loose upon extraction.

Another object is to provide a receptacle on a nail pulling tool for collecting nails upon extraction thereof.

Another object is to provide in a tool having nail pulling claws a receptacle for catching nails or fasteners which is easily adapted for attachment and removal from conventional tools.

Other objects are to provide an attachment for a fastener extracting tool which is sturdy, simple and economical in construction, light in weight, and which is highly effective for its intended purpose.

These and other objects will become more fully apparent upon reference to the following description.

2,768,809 Fatented Oct. 30, 1956 ice In the drawing:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side view of a hammer showing the attachment of the present invention mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the attachment in cross section.

'Fig. 3 is a somewhat enlarged longitudinal section taken along a plane indicated by line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged longitudinal cross section taken along a plane indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a somewhat enlarged transverse section taken along a plane indicated by line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a top detail view of the attachment provided for in the present invention, showing the parts thereof separated from each other.

Referring more particularly to the drawings:

In Fig. 1 is shown a hammer 10 of somewhat conventional construction provided with the attachment, indicated generally, at 11 of the present invention.

The hammer 10 includes a handle 15 and a head 16. The head includes a driving mallet 17 and a pair of arcuately-shaped claws or prongs 18. The claws are spaced from each other and define therebetween a V- shaped notch 19 having an apex 20 and an outer opening 21. As is well known, the head is provided with a bore 22 into which is forcibly and frictionally fitted an end of the handle for rigidly connecting the head to the handle.

The attachment 11 of this invention includes a mounting plate 25 having a longitudinally extending, transversely arcuate recess 26 on one surfacethereof and a longitudinally extending dovetailed channel or groove 27 extended along the other surface thereof. The plate is also provided with a transverse rib 28 along one edge thereof. The place has a plurality of countersunk bores 29 extended therethrough from the channel 27 to the recess 26. The mounting plate 25 is releasably attached to the handle 15 of the hammer by insertion of screws 30 having countersunk heads through the apertures and threadably received into the handle, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. In this position the arcuate recess 26 is adapted to fit in flush engagement against the handle and the dovetailed channel is adapted to lie longitudinally of the handle with the transverse rib constituting the lower edge of the mounting plate.

The attachment 11 also includes a receptacle or housing 35 providing upper and lower end walls 36, 37, inner and outer side walls 38, 39, and opposed side walls 40. As noted in Fig. 2, the inner side wall 38 is somewhat longer than the outer side wall 39. The inner side wall and the upper end wall 36 are joined in an arcuate corner 41 conforming to the shape of the claws 18 of the hammer. The upper end wall is provided with a slot 45 which extends throughout the upper end wall and par tially into the shortened outer side wall 39, as'best seen in Fig. 2. Additionally, the lower end wall 37 is provided with a pair of openings 46. The inner side wall 38 has a projecting dovetailed rail or rib 47 extending longitudinally therealong and adapted to mate in sliding locking engagement with the dovetailed channel 27 in the mounting plate 25. i

The outer side wall 39 is provided with a plurality of openings 50 adjacent to the upper end thereof. A fiat spring 51 is connected at one end to the outer side wall and for this purpose rivets, as 52, extend through the spring and the openings 50 in the outer side wall. The spring is extended endwardly of the outer side wall and has an outer bent portion 53 angulated inwardly relative to the receptacle. It will be noted that the spring is substantially coplanar with the slot 45 and is adapted to fiex inwardly and outwardly of the receptacle through the slot. The portion 53 is bent to conform to the shape of claws 18, in the same manner as point 41, but obviously is not limited to such form.

A permanent bar magnet 55 is mounted in the receptacle on the lower end wall 37 and has a pair of threaded openings, or bores, aligned with openings 46. Bolts 56 extend through the opening from the outside of the receptaclefor holding the magnet in place.

The lower inner edge 57 of housing 35 rests on rib 23.

Operation The operation and utility of the present invention is believed to be readily apparent and is briefly summarized at this point. The attachment 11 is very simply attached to the hammer or removed therefrom, as desired. The mounting plate 25 is first fitted to the handle 15 with the arcuate recess 26 in flush engagement thereagainst. Screws 30 are then fitted through the apertures 29 for insertion into the handle 15. The receptacle 35 is attached to the mounting place by slidably fitting the dovetailed rib 47 within the dovetailed channel 27 of the mounting plate. Because of the shape of the upper end wall 36, the joint 41, the inner side wall 38 and the bent portion 53 of the spring, the receptacle fits in nested relation under the claws 18 of the hammer. In this position, the slot 45 is disposed around or in registry with the V-shaped notch 19 and the bent portion 35 of the spring is resiliently bridged across the notch intermediate the apex 20 thereof and the open end 21. Further, the receptacle 35 is releasably held in such position on the hammer since the lower inner edge, indicated at 57, of the receptacle is forced over and rests on the transverse rib 28 of the mounting place.

In use, the head of a nail or other fastening element is slidably grasped by the claws 13 of the hammer 10 in the usual manner. The spring 5'1 yields to permit the entry of the nail between the claws so that the head of the nail is disposed beneath the claws within the receptacle 35. When the nail enters such a position, the spring snaps back against the claws and prevents release of the nail through the entry opening. When the hammer has extracted the nail from a board or other embedded or fastening position, it is disposed in a position to fall within the receptacle. When nails are deposited in the receptacle in this manner, they fall downwardly against the magnet 55. The nails are brought within the field of the magnet which then attracts and holds them in fixed positions within the receptacle. When it is desired to empty the receptacle and remove the nails, the receptacle is released from the hammer by forcing the lower edge 57 downwardly over the rib 28 and merely sliding the receptacle from the mounting place. By a gentle tap or slight jarring of the receptacle, the nails collected by the magnet are released and may be dumped outwardly through the slot 45 of the receptacle.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that a simple and highly effective attachment has been provided for tools such as hammers having means for engaging, pulling, drawing or otherwise extracting fastening members such as nails, tacks, spikes or the-like. The device is readily adapted to mounting on conventional hammers and may be used or removed as desired. Although a hammer and nail have been alluded to throughout, this has only been for descriptive convenience and is not intended to limit the invention.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that deparclosed herein butis to be accorded the full scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to thedetails disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described my patent, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a hammer including a handle and a head, the head having a notched claw for grasping and drawing nails providing an outer open end and an apex inner end, an attachment for collecting nails drawn by the claw comprising a mounting plate attached longitudinally of the handle having a longitudinally extending channel and a transverse rib along one edge thereof, a container having opposed end and side walls, one side wall having a longitudinally extending rail slidably fitted in the channel of the mounting member with an edge of the end Walls rested on the transverse rib for releasably holding the container on the hammer, the other end wall being fitted under the claw of the hammer head and having a slot therein disposed adjacent to said notch for receiving nails drawn by the claw, a flat spring endwardly extended from the side wall of the container adjacent to the outer end of the claw inwardly relative to the container to conform to the shape of the claw and having an inner end in spaced relation to the apex of the claw, said spring yieldably bearing against the claw and being movable within said slot for permitting slidable entry of nails into said notch and slot but preventing exit of such nails after passage inwardly thereof by flexing outwardly against the claw, and a permanent magnet mounted within the container against said one end wall for attracting nails received by the claw into the container.

2. In a hammer including a handle and a head, in which the head has a notched claw for grapsing and drawing nails providing an outer open end and an apex inner end, said claw having a concave side disposed toward the handle and a convex side oppositely disposed therefrom, an elongated flat leaf spring, and means mounting the spring adjacent to the outer end of the claw, said spring being fitted against the concave side of the claw and extending inwardly longitudinally of the claw from the outer end thereof and providing an inner end in spaced relation to the apex of the claw, said spring yieldably bearing against the concave side of the claw and being movable therefrom to permit slidable entry of nails into the notch of the claw and preventing exit of such nails from the notch after passage inwardly of the spring by flexing outwardly against the claw.

3. In a tool for extracting headed fasteners such as nails having a handle and a head mounted on the handle providing a pair of spaced claws defining a nail receiving V-shaped notch therebetween, the claws having a concave side disposed toward the handle and the notch having an inner apex and outer open end; a receptacle for nails received by the claws releasably mounted on the handle and having one wall fitted against the concave side of the claws with an opening therein in registration with the notch, and an elongated fiat spring endwardly extended from the receptacle adjacent to the outer end of the claws inwardly relative to the container to conform to the shape of claws and having an inner end in spaced relation to the apex of the claws, said spring yieldably bearing against the concave side of the claws and being movable inwardly of the receptacle for permitting slidable entry of nails into said notch and opening and preventing exit of such nails after passage inwardly thereof by flexing outwardly against the claws.

Re eren e C ted inthe file o hi Patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,455 Yonge Apr. 18, 1899 965,716 Kelly July 26, 1910 1,140,128 Dent May 18, 1915 2,463,110 Johnson Mar. 1, 1949 2,589,349 Diefenbach Mar. 18, 1952 

